This invention relates to a dry solid waste disposal system which minimizes environmental pollution and which efficiently utilizes the heat energy which is generated as a by-product of the system.
The buring of trash, such as in large municipal incinerators has been and is, one of the most common methods of disposing of solid wastes. By burning the solid waste in incinerators, the volume of the trash can be substantially reduced. Additionally, the decay of organic wastes, with its attendant unpleasant odors, can be substantially eliminated. Problems resulting from the simple burning of solid wastes have received considerable notoriety and study in that the gases produced by the incineration represent a substantial contribution to air pollution. In a great majority of large incinerator installations, the heat generated represents wasted and unused energy, inasmuch as no economical apparatus has heretofore been available to reclaim this heat energy. There are solid waste disposal systems in the prior art which attempt to deal with these concerns in various manners. It is well known in the prior art to use scrubbers to remove pollutants from waste gases prior to their exhaust to the atmosphere. The prior art also discloses incinerators wherein the heat generated by the burning of waste products is used as an energy source. Some have proven efficient in utilizing the heat energy produced by the incineration of the waste products but have been inefficient in removing pollutants from the atmosphere. Others have been efficient at removing pollutants but not in utilizing the heat energy. Still other prior art structures have attempted to accomplish both objectives but have been too expensive or inefficient, or both.